Disaster Grantmaking Resources

This page lists resources that provide general advice on the most appropriate ways to help those affected by overseas disasters. Please note that the following is provided for educational purposes only. Please consult the Disclaimer for a full explanation of the purposes and limitations of this information.

• General Resources for Disaster Grantmaking
• Government and Multilateral Agencies
• NGOs and Foundations
• Additional Resources:
  • Responding to Hurricane Dean (September 2007)
  • Responding to the Earthquake in Peru (August 2007)
  • Respond to the Floods in South Asia ( August 2007)
  • Responding to the Crisis in Sudan and Chad (April 2007)
  • Responding to the Crisis in Somalia (April 2007)
  • Responding to the Crisis in the Middle East (August 2006)
  • Responding to the Earthquake in Indonesia (May 2006)
  • Responding to Hurricanes Stan and Wilma (November 2005)
  • Responding to the Earthquake in South Asia (November 2005)
  • Drought and Locusts in Niger (August 2005)
  • Floods in Western India (August 2005)
  • Earthquake in Iran (February 2005)
  • Earthquake and Tsunamis in South Asia (February 2005)
  • Fund for Victims of Beslan Terrorist Attack (October 2004)

General Resources for Disaster Grantmaking

• Disaster Grantmaking: A Practical Guide for Foundations and Corporations (in PDF): A joint product of the Council on Foundations and the European Foundation Centre, this free publication suggests eight principles (listed to the left) plus practical tips for grantmakers to consider when responding to emergency situations.
• Guide to Appropriate Giving from InterAction.
• Guidelines for Appropriate International Disaster Donations from the Center for International Disaster Information.
• Disaster Relief: Providing Assistance Through Charitable Organizations (in PDF): Prepared by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Exempt and Government Entities division.  Although this publication does not focus on international grantmaking it extends advice on how to give through existing U.S. charitable organizations, how to set up a new charitable organization and the requirements for documentation.  

Government and Multilateral Agencies

• U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): The U.S. Government's foreign assistance agency site features updates on USAID relief efforts, summaries of international aid and disaster-relief activities, and fact sheets on crises around the world. 
• United Nations: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) lists Humanitarian appeals by year as well as corresponding links to ReliefWeb.
• ReliefWeb is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  The web site serves as a clearing house for information related to particular crises and disaster situations. 

NGOs and Foundations

• InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations.  InterAction members have agreed to abide by a set of standards to ensure accountability to donors.
• Intermediary/Partner Grantmaking Organizations are generally public charities that offer fee based-services designed to meet the needs of grantmakers and individuals who wish to give outside the country in which they are based but prefer not to take on the responsibilities of doing so directly.  This section of the USIG website lists intermediaries by mission focus and geographic area.